Plaiter or ruffler for sewing-machines.



No. 846,215. r PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

. J. T. KELLEY.

PLAIIER 0R. EEPELEE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED OUT-31. 1966.

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INVENTOR Attorney-q 1103462115, "PA'TENTED' MAR. 5, 1907. .L T. KELLEY.-

PLAITER'OR RUPFLER FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED OUT-31. 1906.

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1x10;846,215..15,- y 'PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

- J. T. KELLEY.

'PLAITER 0R RUFFLER.POR- SEWING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED 0011.31. 1906.

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'done by the attachments.

JOHN THOMAS KELLEY, OF NEW LONDON, OHIO.

PLAITER OR RUFFLER FOR SEWING-MACHINES- Specification of'Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed October 31,1906. Serial No. 341,422.

To aZZ whm n, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN TrioMAs KELLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at N ew London, in the county of Huron and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Plaiters or Rufflers for SewingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in attachments for sewing-machines, and these attachments are particularly useful in producing what are known in the trade as quills, being rosettes or ruflied devices with plaited ribbons used in making badges and the like. Of course the invention is not limited to such use, but is applicable to any use or operation resulting in the formation of a ruffle or plait, or several of them, and the attachment thereof to circular or straight pieces of material.

The apparatus includes a plaiter of novel and improved construction adapted to produce a ruffle or plait of the natureof a double or box plait, and also for use on circular work a guidedevice for producing a rotary feed of the work. The presser-foot also has an attachment for lifting a first or preceding ruffle, so that a second or succeedlng ruffle may be sewed with the stitching under the free edge of the first ruffle.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showin I the attachment applied to a sewing-mac ine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the gearing under the bed-plate, which gearing operates the plaiter. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the plaiter open. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the presserfoot, showing the attachment for setting one plait under the other. Fig.5 is a plan view of a quill on a rosette, illustrating the work Fig. 6.is a diagrammatic edge view of a plait produced by the device.

The bed-plateof the machine is indicated at 6, and the machine is provided with the usual stitch-forming devices, which it is unnecessary to show and describe here, except as shall hereinafter appear. The power devices for operating the plaiter are shown in Fig. 2, the power being derived from the main shaft 7 on the under side of the bed. This shaft is provided with a pinion 8 and an eccentric 9, loose thereon, the pinion and the eccentric bein fast together, however. They are thrown into operation by means of a clutch 10, which is operated by a lever 11 on meshes with a gear 14 on one end of a shaft 15, which is carried by brackets 16, secured to the under side of the bed-plate, and on the other end of the shaft is a disk-wheel 17, having a crank-pin 18, with ablock which is slidable in an undercut groove 19 in the disk wheel, in which groove the block may be fixed to vary or adj ust th e throw of the crank. The crank is connected by a rod 20 to a rocker to be hereinafter described, and the eccentric-strap 21 is connected by a rod 22 to a part to be now described.

At 23 is indicated a bearing bracket or support mounted upon the top of the plate 6, and this carries a rock-shaft 24, which is connected to the rod 22, heretofore referred to, by means of a crank-arm 25 at one end thereof, the connection being adjustable by slot and pin 26 to vary the throw, and consequently the extent of movement or turn, of the rock-shaft. Mounted in a suitable hearing upon an extension of the bracket 23 is a rocker 27, one arm of which is connected to the rod 20 by a pivot-pin 28, and the opposite arm of which has a groove 29, which re ceives a pin or projection 30 on the end of a crank-arm 31, which is secured to a small rock-shaft 32, which is mounted in a hearing at 33in the end of a crank-arm 34, projecting from the end of the rock-shaft 24. The groove 29 allows sliding motion of the pin 30 therein; but nevertheless when the rocker 27 is rocked the connection between the same and the small shaft 32 will rock the latter, such rocking action being contemporaneous with the oscillation or swing of the parts incident to the rocking of the. shaft 24.

The plaiting device is secured to the end of the shaft 32, and it comprises a plate 35, fixed to the end of the shaft 32 by means of an upwardly-projecting lug 36 at the rear corner of the plate. At the opposite side edge of the plate is an upwardly-projecting guard 37. 38 indicates a top plate, which is hinged at one side edge between the lugs'36 and 39 on the bottom plate, and this top plate has a spring finger-piece 40, which when the plate is set down presses against the guard 37, and so holds the parts closed.

The parts described are so positioned that the plaiting device is located adjacent to and in front of the presser-foot 41 andunder needle 42, which parts are operated by the usual or desired mechanism. The bottom plate and the top plate 38 have notches 43, through which the needle works when in operation. The ribbon (indicated at 44) feeds through between the top and bottom plates 38 and 35, and this ribbon is formed into the plait, which is sewed to the backing by the usual stitch-forming devices.

The operation of the parts so far described is as follows: WVhen the machine is operated and the attachment is thrown in gear, the shaft 24 is caused to rock, and this oscillates or swings the plaiter to and fro, so that the ribbon is fulled and folded under the needle and is caught by the same and stitched. At the same time in consequence of the rocking motion imparted to the shaft 32 the plaiter is tilted on said shaft as an axis, which causes the end thereof adjacent the needle to slant either down or up as it is advanced toward hand operation.

the needle, and consequently it lays the plait or fold either over or under, or rather over and under in alternation, the actions being so timed that on one swing in or back the plait will be folded over and on the next swing the plait will be folded under. This forms the double or box plait, an example of. which is seen in Fig. 6. This gives a very full and pretty plait or ruffle which, if desired, will stand up in good shape and is particularly useful in the formation of ornamental quills and the like.

For circular work, such as round quills or rosettes, as shown in Fig. 5, a guide attachment is provided for insuring or producing circular movement of the backing without This device consists of a post 45 on the bed-plate behind the presserfoot, and this post receives the bar 46, which is slidable lengthwise therein laterally with respect to the line of feed of the machine, and the bar may be fixed at adjustment by a setscrew 47 in the top of the post. On the end of this bar is a disk 48, to which is fastened a spring 49, which bears upon the edge of a collar 50, held on a rounded portion of the rod between the disk 4.8 and the head 51 at the outer end of the rod. The collar 50 carries a finger 52, which projects forwardly to position beside the needle, and this finger is turned down at the end and pointed to engage the center of the backing or circular piece (indicated at 53) which receives the plaits. It will be seen that the adjustment at the post 45 allows the finger to be set closer to or farther from the needle, according to the size of the circle to be made. Also by special effort to overcome the friction of the spring 49 the finger 52 can be turned up ordown from or to the work, and consequently out of or in use.

In operation the finger is turned down upon the backing, and the normal feed of the machine will cause the disk or piece to ratate on the point of the finger 52 as a center, the

.quilling or plaits being sewed to the backing as it turns. When a series of rows of plaits or quills are sewed close together, .with the stitching of one rowund er the free edges of a preceding one, it is necessary that the plaits of each row be lifted to, allow the succeeding row to be stitched close and to perform this function I provide a curved finger 54, which is secured to the resser-foot 40 and projects in advance thereof beside the needle and in proper position to run under a preceding row and lift or bend the same up, so that the next row can be set close thereto. This finger is attached to the presser-foot 40 by means of a set-screw 55, which extends through a slot 56, formed in the shank of said l piece, and consequently the finger can be set in or out to any desired position, according to the widths of the rows or the distance they are to be set apart.

I claim 1. In a plaiter or ruffler for sewing-machines, a foldd'orming device comprising upper and lower plates hinged together at one side edge and between which the material passes to the stitch-forming devices, the lower plate having at the opposite edge an upwardly-projecting guard, and the upper plate having a spring-catch engaging said guard.

2. In a plaitmg or ruffling attachment for sewing-machines, the combination with a fold-forming device, of a rock-shaft mounted in hearings on the bed-plate of the machine with one end beside the needle, and extending laterally at a right angle to the line of feed, the rock-shaft having a depending crank-arm at the end adjacent the needle, a rocker mounted on the bed-plate and having a grooved arm, a second rock-shaft carried in bearings in said arm and parallel to said shaft and having a projection in the groove,

the fold-forming device being connected at its side edge to the end of, said second shaft, and means to operate the shafts and rocker.

3. In a plaiting or ruffling attachment for sewing-machines, in combination, a bearingbracket on the bed-plate of the machine at one side of the stitch-forming devices, a rockshaft in said bracket, extending at a right angle to the line of feed and with one end adjacent said devices having a depending crank-arm thereon, a rocker mounted on the bracket concentric with. said shaft and having a grooved arm, a second rock-shaft carried by the crank-arm, and having an arm at its outer end with a projection in the groove, and a fold-forming device carried on the inner end of said second shaft.

4. In a plaiting attachment for sewingmachines, in combination, a power-shaft under the bed-plate, an eccentric and gear attached together and loose on said shaft, a

clutch between the shaft and the eccentric In testimony whereof I have signed my and gear, a crank-disk geared to said gear, name to this specification in the presence of rods connected to the eccentric and disk and I two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN THOMAS KELLEY.

extending through the bed-glate, rock-shafts connected to and operated y said rods, and Witnesses: afold-forming device carried by the shafts E. M. PALMER,

adjacent to the stitching devices. 1 B. R. DILLIN. 

